HOW WE ARE HELPING
FIREFIGHTERS
SFFCPF is dedicated to securing grant funding to implement and collaborate on research studies examining the known link between firefighting toxic exposures and cancer. We collaborate with major research institutions (UCSF, UC Berkeley and Stanford), as well as, organizations focused on biomonitoring and the analysis of firefighting gear and firefighting foam for the presence of toxic chemicals. We will not stop searching until there is a cure.
2018 Camp Fire FireFighter Biomonitoring Study (Update 8/22/20)
SFFCPF commissioned the Camp Fire Study following the Paradise, CA Wildland Fire in partnership with Commonweal. 80 Firefighters responding from regional departments were sampled immediately post-deployment. The biospecimens were tested for chemical toxicants, including heavy metals, flame retardants, stain and water repellent substances, PAH’s and PFAS likely encountered on the fire ground. Chemical Body Burden Levels were released to each firefighter participant as they became available. On August 22, 2020, the aggregate study results were released indicating that immediately post-fire, firefighters were carrying in their bodies, a mixture of these chemical toxicants at levels higher than those found in the general US population.The majority of these chemicals are considered to be carcinogens, many of them associated with cardiovascular, reproductive, kidney and liver dysfunction. Of special concern is the exposure to PFAS, some of which are immune-suppressors that damage the body’s capacity to protect against disease. This study was funded by SFFCPF with contributions from the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF). Download the full Study Overview HERE.
2020 Stanford Retired Firefighter Wildfire and Health Study
SFFCPF partners with Stanford University’s Study of Retired San Francisco Firefighters investigating short-term and long-term health impacts of exposure to California wildfire smoke. If you are interested in participating or learning more, check out Stanford’s Wildfire and Health Study.
2020 Stanford Active Firefighter Home Kit Acute Exposure Study
In August 2020, SFFCPF agrees to collaborate in a study of active SFFD firefighters exposed to smoke while fighting urban setting fires and/or wildfires while deployed on strike teams. Through simple in-home micro-sampling, the study will create a list of potential biomarkers both pre- and post- smoke exposure that can be used for general firefighters’ risks. The goal is to improve screenings for cancer, along with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. This study is under design and more information will follow shortly.
2010
The San Francisco Fire Department accepts an invitation to participate in the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) Firefighter Cohort Study, along with Chicago and Philadelphia, in its most comprehensive study ever of cancer among US Firefighters. The study results were released in 2016.
2012
The Women Firefighters Biomonitoring Collaborative, led by Silent Spring Institute and UC Berkeley researchers, evolved when SFFCPF approached the United Fire Service Women and environmental health advocates with concerns about multiple cases of breast cancer among their ranks. This is the first study of women firefighters to assess chemical exposures, including exposure to chemicals linked to breast cancer. To learn more, check out Women Firefighters Biomonitoring Collaborative and Women Firefighters and Breast Cancer Mapping Exposome Uncover Job Risk Factors on the Silent Spring Institute website.
2013
SFFCPF funds Flame Retardant Study with Dr. Susan Shaw. This was the first study to measure PBDD/Fs in blood of firefighters. View the study (pdf) HERE.
2015
SFFCPF funds a pilot study at UCSF evaluating the Key Flame-Retardant Compound Effect In Human Cell Models Of Cancer.
2017
SFFCPF funds the Northern California Firefighter Study aka the Tubbs Fire Study in response to the devastating October 2017 Tubbs wildfire. This study is looking at various levels of toxic chemicals through blood and urine analysis of 180 firefighters. FF Samples were taken 4 weeks following deployment.
2019
Health, Wildfires & Climate Change in California—Recommendations for Action white paper published at UC Berkeley
2019
U.N. Expert Committee Recommends Global Elimination of Toxic Chemical Harming Health of Firefighter. The committee at the Stockholm Convention decided unanimously to recommend a complete global elimination for another toxic fluorinate “forever chemical.”
2020
Higher Rates of Leukemia and Other Cancers Found in 9/11 Responders. Read the full study HERE.
IMPORTANT RESEARCH
FEATURED STUDY
RELATED POSTS
RESEARCH & STUDIES
Results of 2018 Camp Fire FireFighter Biomonitoring Study
By Sharyle Patton, Director Commonweal The aggregate results of the November 2018 Camp Fire study raises major concerns [...]
Gear Treated with ‘Forever’ Chemicals Poses Risk to Firefighters
By Jessica Sieff with Notre Dame News Firefighters face occupational hazards on a daily basis. Now, new research shows [...]
Another Pathway for Firefighter Exposure to PFAS – Firefighter Textiles
Dr. Graham Peaslee Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and related chemicals have been a topic in the fire service, with limited [...]
Study of Smoke Exposure in Retired San Francisco Firefighters
By Stanford University Wildfires in California and elsewhere are increasing at an alarming rate and will only get worse with [...]
Key Flame Retardant Compound Effect in Human Cell Models of Cancer
By UCSF, SFFCPF Flame retardants are a diverse group of chemicals that have been used extensively in clothing, [...]
SFFD Participates in NIOSH Study of Cancer among U.S. Firefighters
By NIOSH The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the federal agency responsible for conducting scientific research [...]
Perfluoroalky Substances in Women Firefighters
By ACS Publications Studies of firefighters have shown increased exposures to carcinogenic compounds and elevated rates of certain [...]
Here Are The Ways That PFAS Chemicals Might Cause Cancer, A New Study Says
By Buzzfeed News PFAS chemicals, which have turned up in drinking water in cities across the US, have [...]
Women Firefighters Face High Exposure to Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’
By UC Berkeley News In 2012 San Francisco firefighters joined forces with Silent Spring, scientists at University of [...]
Cancer in General Responders Participating in World Trade Center Health Programs, 2003–2013
By JNCI Cancer Spectrum Following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC), thousands of [...]
The BRCA2 Gene Fault Isn’t Only a Cancer Risk For Women
By Science Alert Researchers say the BRCA2 gene fault isn't only a cancer risk for women. Scientists at [...]
‘Nobody Gets Out Without Damage’: What Fighting Fire Does to the Body
By The Guardian The quest to understand the toxic effects of fighting wildfires has taken on a new [...]
New Threats Put Wildfire Fighters’ Health on the Line
By New York Times (feat. Capt Matt Alba) America's rapid suburban expansion into the wilderness, combined with the [...]
U.N. Expert Committee Recommends Global Elimination of Toxic Chemical Harming Health of Firefighters
By Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) A U.N. expert committee decided unanimously to recommend a complete global [...]
Health, Wildfires & Climate Change in California – Recommendations for Action
By CITRIS Policy Lab The wildfire problem in California is growing in a hotter climate. Fifteen of the [...]
New Study Confirms High PFAS Blood Levels Among Firefighters
By Environmental Working Group A new scientific review finds “unequivocal evidence” that firefighters using foams made with the [...]
The Most Common Cancer for Men is Still a Mystery to Science — but 9/11 First Responders are Giving Researchers Fresh Clues
By Business Insider Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, according to the National [...]
Study Tests Immunotherapy in People with Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases
By NIH Cancer Institute Researchers have launched a clinical trial to test an immunotherapy drug in patients who [...]
Elevated Mercury Found in Blood of Some SF firefighters Who Battled Tubbs Fire
By The San Francisco Chronicle Some San Francisco firefighters who pitched in to battle the deadly Tubbs Fire [...]
Study Finds Firefighters had Increased Chemicals in their Systems After Tubbs Fire
By The San Francisco Examiner Firefighters who responded to the Tubbs Fire in 2017 saw increased levels of [...]